Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Angelina Jolie Undergoes a Double Mastectomy

Photo from RadioTimes.com

It's been years since I've blogged for Plastic Surgery Uncut. I worked for Dr. Walden as a premedical student in New York City, shadowing her and gaining clinical experience. Now, I'm a first-year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine (formerly Mount Sinai School of Medicine) in New York City, pursuing an MD/MPH degree.

I've been wanting to return to this blog for some time now as I always enjoy writing. Therefore, it is only appropriate that I blog about my favorite celebrity and her recent medical endeavor.

Angelina Jolie, arguably one of the world's most beautiful women, recently underwent a preventive double mastectomy. After learning that she carries the BRCA1 gene, a gene linked to a significant increase in breast and ovarian cancer, she elected to have both breasts removed. In doing so she has reduced her chances of getting breast cancer to "under 5%" (though it varies for each individual).

Angelina Jolie underwent three different procedures. The first was called "nipple delay" which she describes in her NY Times Op-Ed piece, "rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area. This causes some pain and a lot of bruising, but it increases the chance of saving the nipple." She then underwent a second procedure to remove the breast tissue, and a final procedure to reconstruct her breasts through the use of an implant.Two genes BRCA1 and BRCA 2 are associated with a risk for developing breast cancer. Many women who know they carry one or both of these genes undergo a preventive mastectomy. Angelina Jolie says, "I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."

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About This Blog

Welcome! My name is Dr. Jennifer Walden, and I'm a Austin, Texas-based cosmetic plastic surgeon, recently relocated from New York, New York, who has been featured on FoxNews, CBS, E! and ABC networks regarding plastic surgery and other medical topics. I am board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and fellowship-trained in Aesthetic Surgery. The comments on the site are the opinion of my contributors and myself alone and should not be taken as fact or as medical advice. I have not treated any of the people presented here and the information should be taken for entertainment value only. The messages are not intended to substitute or imply medical advice. If you cannot accept this policy, please ignore the posts on this blog.

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